The Florida Solar Energy Center Logo
 
 
 
Home > Education > SunSmart > E-Shelters Program > FAQ

SunSmart E-Shelters FAQ

  1. Which schools have been selected to participate in the program?
  2. Can I be notified when the application is available?
  3. When is the deadline for school shelters to submit an application?
  4. Are all schools eligible to receive a solar electric system?
  5. Are all Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA) shelters eligible for the solar electric system?
  6. How are school shelters selected?
  7. What are the chances of a school shelter in a small county receiving a 10kW system?
  8. Are colleges eligible to participate?
  9. Is there a cost involved if our school is selected, or are all of the expenses covered?
  10. I have been trying to open the schools application and I keep getting an error message; what's wrong?
  11. Are there any programs or monies available for private schools?
  12. Can you tell me where the teacher and facility manager training (for selected schools) will be held?
  13. Do schools select the solar installers and do I have to provide information to companies that contact me?
  14. I heard that there was a maximum of one system per county. Is that true?
  15. Can the installation company be a partner? We currently do elementary school presentations but would also be interested in providing maintenance. Does the maintenance mean labor support only?
  16. Will the bids to installers be to one lowest bidder or will secondary factors also be included such as geographic location and school partners etc…?
  17. How will the PV system be installed on my school and how much space will it take up?
  18. We received a letter inviting us to apply for the SunSmart Schools Emergency Shelter program, and unfortunately we received the invitation too late for us to be able to get approval to apply from our School Board. We are interested in applying next year (2010-2011 academic year), if this would be possible.
  19. Can you please define “renewable energy mentor” in Part 2 of the SunSmart Shelter application?
  20. Can supporting photos and attachments to the school application be transmitted electronically or do they have to be sent via postal service?

Question 1:
Which schools have been selected to participate in the program?

90 finalist schools and 20 alternates have been selected; please view the For Schools page for more information.

Question 2:
Can I be notified when the application is available?

The schools application process is now closed but the install bid documents are now available.

Question 3:
When is the deadline for school shelters to submit an application?

April 12 , 2010 @ 5:00pm ET (Recently extended deadline)

Question 4:
Are all schools eligible to receive a solar electric system?

No, only public schools designated as Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA) shelters are eligible.

Question 5:
Are all Enhanced Hurricane Protection Area (EHPA) shelters eligible for the solar electric system?

No, only EHPA shelters that are public schools are eligible.

Question 6:
How are school shelters selected?

A review team will select schools based on the school’s responses to numerous questions on the application. Point values associated with each response will be totaled to provide a score and ranking. A sample of the categories considered and the associated point ranges are as follows:

Geographic (Information)
up to 25 pts.
School/Shelter Information
up to 30 pts.
Partnership Opportunities
 up to 20 pts.
Educational Interest
up to 25 pts.

Question 7:
What are the chances of a school shelter in a small county receiving a 10kW system?

The chances are excellent. Ideally, at least one school shelter will be selected in each of the 67 counties in Florida. Some counties will get more than one school outfitted with a solar electric system. These will be selected based on the strength of each school’s application.

Question 8:
Are colleges eligible to participate?

Public colleges, that also serve as EHPA shelters in Florida, are eligible to apply for this program.

Question 9:
Is there a cost involved if our school is selected, or are all of the expenses covered?

The 10 kW system is funded by the grant. The only expense a school might entail is running an internet connection to the point where the inverter is so that your system data can be sent to the EnergyWhiz web page. This connection will typically be located where your service boxes are.

Question 10:
I have been trying to open the schools application and I keep getting an error message; what's wrong?

The most issue that people have is that they already have Adobe Acrobat installed but it is an older version. Users who have Adobe Acrobat 8 still see messages about receiving updates, but for all intensive purposes, this product is still out of date. You must have Adobe Acrobat 9.0 or greater to open and use this application and it's electronic submission features. This application will work on both Windows and Mac provided that they are using Adobe Acrobat.

Question 11:
Are there any programs or monies available for private schools?

Not at the present time, but there could be something with the other SunSmart School (non-shelter) Program in the future. If you fill out an application we will keep it for possible future funding.

Question 12:
Can you tell me where the teacher and facility manager training (for selected schools) will be held?

We will be doing these in regions (see the emergency manager list) and will try to pick a place that is centrally located (for the region). These are be scheduled to begin next school year.

Question 13:
Do schools select the solar installers and do I have to provide information to companies that contact me?

The solar installation companies that will participate in this program, will be selected by the Florida Solar Energy Center. If a solar installation company contacts a school for information, the school does not have to provide access to grounds or information to these companies at this time.

Question 14:
I heard that there was a maximum of one system per county. Is that true?

No, that is not true. The selected shelter schools will be spread throughout the state, but more populous counties are expected to have more than one shelter school selected for a system.

Question 15:
Can the installation company be a partner? We currently do elementary school presentations but would also be interested in providing maintenance. Does the maintenance mean labor support only?

The process for selecting the participating schools and the system installers (solar vendors) are separate. The evaluation of a school's application will include consideration of their current energy education programs, which may be the result of partnerships with local businesses.

Question 16:
Will the bids to installers be to one lowest bidder or will secondary factors also be included such as geographic location and school partners etc…?

Cost will be a significant factor in the selection of system installers (solar vendors). Invitation to Bid will be issued shortly with all requirements detailed within the document. Vendors will be asked to provide quotes by region for a range of quantities. (e.g. 1-5 systems, 6-10 systems, etc.). We anticipate multiple awards.

Question 17:
How will the PV system be installed on my school and how much space will it take up?

The first round of school selections will focus on ground-mount installations (the FSEC preferred method of system installation). A ground-mount installation installs the photovoltaic array as a freestanding structure placed on the ground usually near a building. This type of installation requires 2000 sq-ft of unobstructed (horizon to horizon) ground space. If a school is selected and a ground-mount installation is not possible, accommodation of other configurations may be possible under unique circumstances.

It is important to note that regardless of mounting (this includes roof-mount), the battery system will be in an outdoor enclosure, which requires some pad-mounted equipment on the ground. In addition, interior wall-space should be reserved (near the battery and array pads) for the installation of power control equipment (such as the inverter and electrical disconnects).

Question 18:
We received a letter inviting us to apply for the SunSmart Schools Emergency Shelter program, and unfortunately we received the invitation too late for us to be able to get approval to apply from our School Board. We are interested in applying next year (2010-2011 academic year), if this would be possible.

This is the only application time for this project. You do not have to have school board approval at this time (and with this short notice) to put in an application. There will be time to secure school board approval if you are selected as a 'finalist' school.

Question 19:
Can you please define “renewable energy mentor” in Part 2 of the SunSmart Shelter application?

That would be any person or entity that has helped you with renewable energy (or some conservation) activities. This could be a group/person that helped form a recycling group, gave a presentation on energy to some classes, helped the students build solar cars or solar ovens, helped form an energy patrol, mentored students with energy related science fair projects, or something similar.

Question 20:
Can supporting photos and attachments to the school application be transmitted electronically or do they have to be sent via postal service?

They may be sent to sunsmart@fsec.ucf.edu. Please put the school name in the subject line.